Machine for sealing wrappers upon loaves of bread.



w. E. MILLER. I MACHINE FOR SEALINGWRAPPERS UPON LOAVES 0F BREAD.

APPLICATION FILED APR- 2I| I913. I

1,142,976. Patented June 15, 1915.

O/VOZJW William E, Mill-er.

"WILLIAM? E. MILLER, OF ALLEGAN, MICHIGAN.

MACHINE FOR SEALING WRAPPERS UPON LOAVES 0F BREAD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 15, 1915.

Application filed April 21, 1913. Serial No. 762,705.

To all 1071 am. it may concern Be it known that I. WILLIAM E. MrLLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Allegan, in the county of Allegan and State of h'lichigan. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Sealing Wrappers upon Loaves of Bread, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in implements for sealing paper that IS wrapped around loaves of broad or other oblong packages, and its objects are: first, to provide a means whereby the loaves, first wrapped with paper, may be passed through between properly prepared and heated plates and the wax heated and cooled so as to secure the paper around the loaf without the necessity of wrapping it with twine; and, second. to provide a means whereby the wax may be readily cooled in extremely hot weather.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing,

in which Figure 1 is a top plan of the machine complete. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same with the outline of a loaf in place; and, Fig. 3 is a bottom plan of the machine. Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In the construction of this machine I secure longitudinal cleats A, and C to cross girts B and B. The cross girts B B have legs made integral therewith, as indicated in Fig. 2, and the cross cleats B, B, have standards'G G integral therewith and ex-. tending upward at right angles therefrom to act as supports for the permanent plate E, which is secured to the longitudinal cleat C. The cleat C is secured to the cross slides M, which in turn are slidably secured to the cross cleats B by means of the brackets N N so that they may be readily adjusted to any desired width or length of loaf that is to be sealed. The sliding cleats M, also have upwardly extending standards, G G to which the plate E is secured, the plates E and E being made to stand edgewise and parallel with the corresponding standards and supported thereon as follows: The plates E and E have bolts 9 9' secured to them and extending outward at right angles therefrom, and passing through the standards and properly secured to slide freely, and a properly arranged spring, as g, is placed on each bolt between the standard and the plate so that the plates are held forcibly away from the standards, and yet may be readily adjusted to the form of the loaf, and to slight variations in the lengths of the loaves. Thus, if a loaf is perpendicularat the ends the plates will stand vertical edgewise, as indicated by their solid lines in Fig. 2, but if the loaf is a little flaring at the ends, as indicated by the dotted outlines of the loaf K in Fig. 2 the plates will be adjusted to the flare, as indicated by the dotted lines in said figure.

The sliding cleats M M are provided with a series of small teeth or serrations i with which the pawls I are designed to engage for the purpose of holding these slides or cleats from being forced outward when a leaf is being passed between the plates E. These pawls may be attached to the machine in any available manner, but I prefer that they be made integral with a long spring wire I, which may be secured to the frame by means of interlocking with small standards or bolts 01 n n, as indicated in Fig. 3, and so arranged that the pawls will stand normally in engagement with the serrations z", and to disengage the pawls from these teeth I pivot a lever F to a center cross cleat B, as at f, and connect the respective pawls therewith by means of connecting rods 1 J that are secured at one end to the lever as at f f and at the other ends to the loops ii in the pawl spring I I, so that when the lever is thrown around to the position of its dotted lines in Fig. 3 the pawls will be drawn out of engagement with the teeth 21 and the cleats M M may be slid outward to provide for adjusting the distance between the plates E and E to accommodate loaves of considerable variation in length, as indicated by the dotted outlines of the plate E and its supporting cleats in Figs. 2 and 3.

electrically produced through the medium of the armatures H H and the connecting wires h and it properly connected with a source of electricity. At the lower side of Fig. 3 I have shown the chamber in section to more fully disclose the position and form preferred for the bulb, and, also, to.

disclose a non-conducting lining in the chamber, as indicated at d, to insure the de sired distribution of the heat.

In cool weather the wax will cool before it has passed from between the'plates E and E, but in extremely warm weather it is necessary to employ some artificial means for cooling it, and for this purpose I place a water tank 0, O, on the plates back of the heating chambers D D and make provisions for having a constant flow of cool water as follows: Water is forced into the tank 0 through the pipe 0, thence out at Z through the hose or flexible pipe L to Z where it passes into the tank 0 and is carried out of the tank 0' by the pipe 0, it being understood that the proper water connections are made with the pipes o and 0', though the same are not here shown.

The plates E E are, preferably, curved outward at one end, as at E, so the loaves may be readily passed between them when feeding to the machine.

It will be readily understood that the direction of the circulation of water through the tanks 0 and O is optional with the operator, as the supply pipe may be connected with the pipe 0' and the drain connected with the pipe 0, and in some instances this direction of flow will be found preferable as the pipe 0 being shown as at the top of the tank, both tanks must be full of water at all times, while with the supply and drain pipes filled from the other way there is danger that the tank 0' might not remain full, especially if the pressure is not great in the supply pipe.

that I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In combination with a supporting frame in a machine for sealing paper wrappers on oblong loaves, permanent standards extending upward from one side of the frame, laterally adjustable standards projecting upward from the other side of said frame, sealing plates secured parallel with said standards at one end of the machine, and cooling plates at the other end of the machine, means for allowing of slight temporary lateral automatic ad ustment to said plates independent of the standards, and means for heatin one end of each of said sealing plates sufilciently to melt wax as it comes in contact with them.

2. In combination with the supporting frame of a machine for sealing wrappers on oblong loaves, permanent standards projecting upward from one side of the frame, laterally adjustable standards projecting upward from the other side of the frame, sealing plates placed parallel with the standards and secured thereto in such a manner as to be' laterally adjustable automatically to, the form of the loaf, independent of the standards, heating appliances connected with one end of each sealing plate, and a cooling appliance connected with the other end of the machine.

3-. In combination with the supporting frame of a machine for sealing wrappers upon oblong loaves, permanent standards extending upward from one side of the frame, sliding cleats secured under the frame so that the width of the machinemay be varied, standards extending upward from the outer ends of said cleats, a vertically disposed sealing plate secured to the standards at each side of the machine, teeth formed on the inner edges of the sliding cleats, spring actuated \pawls arranged to engage said teeth to hold the sliding cleats temporarily in the desired positions, a heating appliance connected with each of the sealing plates, and a cooling appliance attached to the machine back of each sealing plate and arranged for a continuous circulation of cold water therethrough.

4. In combination with the supporting frame of a machine for sealing wrappers on oblong loaves, permanent standards extending upward from one side of the machine, laterally adjustable standards extending upward from the other side of the machine, sealing plates adjustably connected with said standards and having one end of each curved outward, slides integral and at right angles with the adjustable standards and arranged to slide under the surface of the frame for lateral adjustment, means for temporarily securing theslides to the frame and for temporarily releasing them when desired, heaters connected with the plates at one end of the machine, and cooling appliances connectedfat the other end of the machine. f

5 In combination with the supporting frame of a machine for sealing wrappers on oblong loaves, permanent standards secured to, and extending upward from one side of the machine, standards at the other side of the machine secured to slides and arranged for laterally adjusting the width of the machine, a sealing plate at each side of the maas shown and described, and for the pur- 10 pose set forth.

Signed at Grand Rapids Michigan April 15 1913.

WILLIAM E. MILLER.

In presence of- JOHN W. HIIDING, I. J. CILLEY. 

